Let your back not hold you back
By Mohinder Singh

AFTER an enjoyable five-day trip to Singapore, Kapurs were homeward bound. As the plane came to a halt at IGIA, Ravi leaped out of his seat to retrieve their heavy hand luggage stowed overhead; a twinge in the back he ignored. Customs clearance went surprisingly smooth but next morning Ravi woke up in excruciating back pain.

Sitting long in plane, train, bus or car, and heavy lifting of luggage can hurt your back. If you’ve never had back problems before, you could develop some. And if you already have them, you can make them worse.

Back experts have been coming up with a few spine-saving travel tips. If you’re on a plane or train, get up and walk around for a few minutes every hour. On long car trips, stop every hour and walk around. Sitting increases pressure in the vertebral discs and this makes it all the more painful for people with lower-back problems.

If there is no room to walk in a plane or train, better stand up periodically. Standing upright reduces the strain on the lower back.

There is even an art of sitting for long hours. A small pillow (the sort provided in planes) tucked in the gap between your lower back and the seat counteracts the tendency to slump.

Sitting slumped over an extended period plays havoc with the back. While standing, the lower portion of your back — the lumbar section — normally curves inward (towards your abdomen). But when sitting, it tends to slump outward. That squeezes the ends of the vertebra discs, cutting off their supply of nutritious fluids. A lumbar-support pillow does mitigate this pressure to a significant degree.

It is useful to empty your back pockets when sitting for hours. Sitting on a thick wallet or a bunch of keys gives an unnatural twist to the spine.

Sitting long with legs crossed (more common with women wearing skirts) is bad for the back and for the legs, too. Crossing the legs shortens leg muscles, reduces circulation to the legs, pushes out the lower back, creates uneven weight on hips and pelvis, and irritates the sciatic nerve.

When you can’t even stand in a plane or train, fidget frequently. Stretch your arms overhead; lean to one side, then the other. Shift around in your seat. Changing position assures that the discs’ supply of fluids isn’t cut off.

Again, in a plane or train, it helps if you rest your feet on a briefcase or carry-on bag on the floor. This elevates your knees above your hips, taking the pressure off the back of the legs and keeps the lumbar spine curving more inward than outward.

For automobile drivers, an anti-slumping strategy is to tilt their rearview mirror a little bit upward. This keeps them sitting up straighter, in order to watch what’s coming behind.

Another important element in back-care is to lighten luggage loads.

Backpacks are good; they take the load off your back and put it on your abdominal muscles. Just remember to wear the backpack over both shoulders. Even a heavy purse hung all the time on one shoulder drags it down. Better limit your travelling bags to less than 15 kg in weight if you suffer from back problems. It’s preferable to distribute the weight evenly by carrying one small suitcase in each hand. A large suitcase carried in one hand is particularly hazardous to your back. The idea is to avoid a situation where all the weight is on one side, resulting in asymmetrical loading on the spine.

With two smaller suitcases, position them close to your sides, bend both knees, grasp the handles and slowly straighten the knees. And maintain an upright posture.

Lifting heavy packages to overhead racks or bins is dangerous, particularly if you already have a bad back. Better stow such items under the seat. And there’s no shame in securing some friendly help if a heavy package has to be hauled up or down.

Preferably travel with suitcases that have attached wheels and retractable handles. Or, in the alternative, you carry a light collapsible luggage carrier with wheels. And, wherever possible, push rather than pull.

Lifting heavy bags is riskier in the early morning hours. Fluids pool in your spinal discs while you sleep, making your lower back extra sensitive to irritation on waking up. If you’re leaving early in the morning, better load your car the night before. In case this isn’t feasible, make sure you do some gentle stretching movements before commencing the loading.

Similarly, long sitting can cause the discs to narrow in one place, making them more vulnerable to injury. Better do a few stretches before you start unloading the car after a long journey.